McDavid will be like Atlas walking in to our dressing room and try to pick that entire organization up - we would be considered a blackhole of talent and I bet McDavid would get destroyed and become Joe Hulbig.

McDavid will be like Atlas walking in to our dressing room and try to pick that entire organization up - we would be considered a blackhole of talent and I bet McDavid would get destroyed and become Joe Hulbig.

Liquor, you don't seriously think that, do you? 2 more years at the bottom. that would mean passing up on any upgrades from now till then.

have to try and improve at the TDL and off season. after this year's draft, they can't wait anymore. if they do, i might be, as Eakins put, out. Done. given up.

I won't speak for IATL... but from my point of view... how in the world would this management group get talents like Ekblad/Reinhart/McDavid any other way than through their incompetence leading to being able to draft that elite level talent?

They are now doing their best to improve this team and we see the results in the standings this year. The less they do with those most valuable pieces the better.

If this team finds itself in a position to draft those players (again in large part to the ineptitude of the management and pro scouts to address the issues on this team to make them better)... then you don't compound that ineptitude by passing up those telents if they are there for the picking.

Would players like Ekblad, Reinhart, McDavid improve this team going forward? I don't think there's much doubt that they would very likely develop into solid NHL players down the line. Other teams will certainly grab them if they were in a position to do so. Oilers would be plain idiots plus incompetent if they were to trade away those assets (and that's what trading those picks away is effectively doing).

I think people have to be able to separate "fixing" this team from acquiring future potential stars. You absolutely need those talents if you can grab them.

Put it this way... once this current management group is finally mercifully expunged from this organization (crossing fingers and stabbing voodoo dolls as we speak)... then those elite assets will still be there for the next (hopefully) more competent group of management to actually build a competitive team around.

I am on the same page with basically every fan... I want a winner in Edmonton as well... 8 years of crap (more actually but for the Cinderella run) is plenty for all of us BUT it would be a mistake dumping premier young players (that's what those draft picks actually are) that will be a strong part of this team for years going forward in favour of "something" coming back that this current management group thinks will help this team.

My fundamental view... I have a higher level of faith in Ekblad/Reinhart/McDavid and those other top end prospects than I have in MacT/Lowe and the rest of this management group.

Aaron Ekblad is right on. GMs want players that are versatile, and Ekblad is exactly that. Aaron Ekblad is a leader on top of his skill. He is the captain of his OHL team and captained the Under-17 World Hockey Championship team this past year. He also captained this year’s Canadian Under-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup team that won a gold medal.

“Aaron is the proverbial ‘workhorse’ defenseman. (He’s) Capable of playing significant minutes, he has a seemingly ability to get better the more he plays and he seems to thrive on these types of demands. Smart and capable of playing in all situations, he is also capable of dominating opponents. Defensively, offensively, skill game or physical game, Aaron can excel in all types of games. Top 2 type defenseman

So you see there that he is thought of very highly. He has the potential to be a top defensive pairing franchise defenseman in the National Hockey League. Whoever gets Ekblad will get a player that could be able to play in his first year after the draft. He is big enough, and his level of play is well beyond the average 17-year-old in juniors.

I won't speak for IATL... but from my point of view... how in the world would this management group get talents like Ekblad/Reinhart/McDavid any other way than through their incompetence leading to being able to draft that elite level talent?

They are now doing their best to improve this team and we see the results in the standings this year. The less they do with those most valuable pieces the better.

If this team finds itself in a position to draft those players (again in large part to the ineptitude of the management and pro scouts to address the issues on this team to make them better)... then you don't compound that ineptitude by passing up those telents if they are there for the picking.

Would players like Ekblad, Reinhart, McDavid improve this team going forward? I don't think there's much doubt that they would very likely develop into solid NHL players down the line. Other teams will certainly grab them if they were in a position to do so. Oilers would be plain idiots plus incompetent if they were to trade away those assets (and that's what trading those picks away is effectively doing).

I think people have to be able to separate "fixing" this team from acquiring future potential stars. You absolutely need those talents if you can grab them.

Put it this way... once this current management group is finally mercifully expunged from this organization (crossing fingers and stabbing voodoo dolls as we speak)... then those elite assets will still be there for the next (hopefully) more competent group of management to actually build a competitive team around.

I am on the same page with basically every fan... I want a winner in Edmonton as well... 8 years of crap (more actually but for the Cinderella run) is plenty for all of us BUT it would be a mistake dumping premier young players (that's what those draft picks actually are) that will be a strong part of this team for years going forward in favour of "something" coming back that this current management group thinks will help this team.

My fundamental view... I have a higher level of faith in Ekblad/Reinhart/McDavid and those other top end prospects than I have in MacT/Lowe and the rest of this management group.

so, your a saying don't trade your 1st round pick this year or next as it is possible they will be picking 1st. well sure. put to make at a goal to tank not only this year but 2 years out, a this point, when they've done just that from 2010-12, is unforgiveable. after this year's draft they must start competing in the here and now.

That's it just stunning if true.If Nurse is said to have a higher ceiling,then this draft is going to be the weakest in more than a decade.

Nurse has a higher ceiling because of his athleticism and the range of his abilities but it's questionable what level he gets to as a player because of the variation in his play from game to game. He needs to learn that less is more sometimes. Ekblad is a better bet to be a better d-man because he's already quite consistent and he just seems to continually improve his game. Ekblad also has a higher hockey IQ I'd say.

Last year's draft was pretty strong whereas the top end of the draft this year lacks the sure-fire elite players that you normally see in the top 2 or 3, however there are several guys with the potential to get to that level. In general the top end guys this year (Reinhart, Draisaitl, Ekblad) aren't as fast of skaters as you normally see at the top of the draft. Obviously that's something that can be improved though.

so, your a saying don't trade your 1st round pick this year or next as it is possible they will be picking 1st. well sure. put to make at a goal to tank not only this year but 2 years out, a this point, when they've done just that from 2010-12, is unforgiveable. after this year's draft they must start competing in the here and now.

McDavid is the best player to come along since Crosby. It would be more than worth it. Thing is you arent guaranteed to get him. Even if you did miss out on McDavid, there's Jack Eichel and some other top level talent in that draft. The most foolish thing we could do at this point would be to trade next year's first. Also we arent tanking. This is coaching/management trying to win.

I'll try to find it tomorrow. Didn't mention those players in particular but just got that sense. Solid, minute eater, good defensively, decent on the PP, maybe 40-50 points.

Im sure he'd help the Oilers but I don't get the sense he's a #1.

Pronman or one of those guys said Nurse has a higher ceiling.

Ive heard the Bouwmeester comparable. I havent seen enough of Ekblad to know one way or the other. The bottom line is Bouwmeester and Ekblad are two different players. Just because someone says player x reminds them of player y, doesnt mean that is the case. Its just their opinion. Also, Bouwmeester would look pretty good on our d right now. Hell, Tom Gilbert would look pretty good back there. Its a mess.

Also Sam Reinhart would look pretty good in an Oiler uni. He would open the door to getting rid of that pretender Gagner and we would have two legit top six centers going forward.

You forgot two more people , IATL...Justin Schultz will probably be getting 6 million and
don't forget about Bryzgalov.

This team is so ****ed!

Take a look at the Pittsburgh Penguins. Theyre paying two guys 18mill. They also have a bunch of other big ticket guys. Theyve got three players making well over six mill per year. Youre making much ado about nothing. Also if we did happen to get McDavid, it would be four or five years before he were to get that kind of money. Some of the guys on your six mill list will likely be gone by then.

so, your a saying don't trade your 1st round pick this year or next as it is possible they will be picking 1st. well sure. put to make at a goal to tank not only this year but 2 years out, a this point, when they've done just that from 2010-12, is unforgiveable. after this year's draft they must start competing in the here and now.

I think the mentality is to trade the pick no matter what it is. This pick would be obviously put towards a top pairing defensemen or a big way two way centre. The thing is though if they are not able to get that sort of player then they should keep the pick and draft someone like Ekblad who could turn into that top pairing defender. We shouldn't trade the pick just for the sake of trading it.

Ive heard the Bouwmeester comparable. I havent seen enough of Ekblad to know one way or the other. The bottom line is Bouwmeester and Ekblad are two different players. Just because someone says player x reminds them of player y, doesnt mean that is the case. Its just their opinion. Also, Bouwmeester would look pretty good on our d right now. Hell, Tom Gilbert would look pretty good back there. Its a mess.

Also Sam Reinhart would look pretty good in an Oiler uni. He would open the door to getting rid of that pretender Gagner and we would have two legit top six centers going forward.

As always, current players are used as a comparable so we can get an idea what kind of player the draft prospect is like.

I agree even if Ekblad tops out at Bouw, he would still help our D.

I just don't want people to think he's a Subban, Pronger, Jones, etc.

We'll see where he's at by June. Nurse, after all, rose quite a bit from Oct-Nov to the draft

That's it just stunning if true.If Nurse is said to have a higher ceiling,then this draft is going to be the weakest in more than a decade.

i don't know about "weakest in a decade", but pretty much all the regular guys (mackenzie, button, etc) have been saying this is a weak draft for quite some time now... this is very troubling when you consider that these peoples careers are quite literally wrapped up in the concept of making each draft "exciting" and "an event"... if these folks are telling you its weak, it really is weak

GMs that i have seen talking about this year have also said that this draft class is quite weak, macT the most recent in his interview with stauffer the other day

this is another reason i don't think we'll be able to trade our 1st rounder for a top-pairing guy unless we end up with one of the top-2 picks, as reinhart and ekblad, although a step down from previous years, are still thought of as good prospects.... unfortunately, if we end up with the 5th overall, we aren't going to have many takers for that pick, and none of them are going to be giving away a top-2 or even top-4 defender for such a pick

Sounds to me that they're rating Ekblad like a Bouwmeester or Brewer type. Not a Seth Jones.

I'm sure Ekblad could help our D at some point but hardly sounds like someone we should agonize over trading.

Not convinced Sam Reinhart is a stunner either.

And those guys are supposed to be #1 and #2.

Sigh.

Aaron Ekblad is a much smarter player than Brewer and a far more physical player than Bouwmeester (and Jones for than matter). The only thing these guys all have in common is the elite skating. While Ekblad probably isn't as good as Jones offensively, everything I've seen and read point to a guy that has a more "NHL game" as he uses his size and strength to impose his will on smaller players. And even if he ends up being Jay Bouwmeester, that's a whole lot better than what we've got right now. I don't know about you, but I'll take a Nurse-Ekblad pairing over a Belov-Petry pairing every day of the week.